Shroud or other garment.



C. G. HOWE. SHROUD 0R OTHER GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1912.

Patented Apr. 7, 19m

` ATTORNEY WITNESSES CHARLES Gr. HOWE, 0F MACON, MISSOURI.

SHROUD OR OTHER GARMENT.

Be it known that l, Cimunns (i. Hows, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Macon, in the county of Macon and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Shroud or other Garment, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in shrouds, and its object is to provide a garment which may be readily adapted to a body being prepared for burial, but the invention is also adapted to other uses, as will hereinafter appear.

The clothing of a dead body in preparation 'For burial, especially where wif/01' lm07'- z's has set in, is a difficult and disagreeable task, in eases where ordinary garments are used, and objection is often made to the use of shrouds or other clothing which do not fully surround the body.

'.lhe present invention comprises a garment so 'constrncte l asv to .be capable of being opened out in a manner permitting the laying of the body on one portion of the garment, and then folding the other portion of the garment over the body, the meeting edges being provided with fastening devices or means for fastening together, whereby when the e'arment is finally in position the body is wholly clothed. ln the case of a shroud it may be so made as tounfold at the shoulders and lay out substantially twice as long as the garment when in place upon the body, while at the shoulder portion of the garment an aperture is provided for the passage of the head. The body is placed upon the proper halt of the shroud, after which the other half is foldedsover the body toward the rst half so that the proper edges are brought together, and then by means of any suitable fastening devices these meeting edges are secured one to the other when the garment is substantially the same as an ordinary shroud. The sleeves where provided are likewise divided so as to open and Amay be brought together and secured the same as the body ofthe garment.

yIt will be understood that the invention is applicable to other garments which may be employed in laying out the dead Where there may be objection to the use of shrouds. Furthermore, the invention is applicable to the production of garments for use in connection with invalids or those upon whom operations have been performed, where theO Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led April 30, 1912.

Patented Apr. "Z, im e.

Serial No. 694.074.

least movement possible of the body ofl the patient is advisable.

rllhe invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following de-A tailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the further understanding that while but a single practi- -cal form of the invention is shown in the drawings it is susceptible of other practical embodiments, wherefore the invention is not confined to any strictv conformity with the showing of the.. drawings but may lbe changed and modified to such degrees vas mark no material departure from the salient 'features of the invention.

ln the drawings Fignre l is a plan view of a shroud or a like garment spread out ready to receive the body of, a dead person or of an invalid. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the garment in the assem led position assumed when covering the body.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a. shroud or other garment made up of two parts l, 2, joined together end to end at what constitutesfthe shoulder portion indicated by the dotted line il. rThe two parts l and 2 are shown as alike in outline, and along respective edges of the two members are hooks and eyes l, 5, so that when the member 2 is folded at theshoulder line 3 in a manner to bring the member 2 into coincidence with the member' 1 the hooks 4 may be engaged in corresponding eyes 5. At the shoulder portion 3 there is formed an opening 6 for the passage of the head of the body, and along the front portion of the member 2 from the neck opening 6 there is an elongated opening 7 which may also be provided with fastening devices in the form of hooks i and eyes 5. On oppositesides of the members l and 2 adjacent the shoulder portion 3 are sleeve sections 8, 9, adapted to open andare provided with hooks 4 and-eyes 5, respectively, so that the two edges of each sleeve may be secured together to complete the sleeve.

The two parts 1 and 2 of the garment, as well as the sleeve sections 8 and 9, are effectively in one piece, although they may actually be made of several pieces of cloth,

manently or inseparably joined as' by sewing,'so that for the purposes of thepresevnt f invention the garment 1s practicallya one but in such case the several pieces are per,

piece garment. .The member 2 which constitutes the front or .visible portion of the garment when upon the body may be ornamented in any desired way which the fancy of the constructor may dictate.

When it is desired to use the garment, say asa shroud, the member 1 is laid out upon a suitable surface, such as a laying-out table, with the member 2 as indicated in Fig. 1. The body to be enshrouded is positioned upon the member 1 with the head atr the openings 6 and 7 and then the member 2 is brought over the body into overlying relationto the member 1 and the hooks 4 may then be engaged in the eyes 5, thus inclosingthe body as though in an unbroken garment, While b a suitable arrangement such as common y employed in garments Where hooks and eyes are used, such hooks and eyes may be entirely hidden from view and so4 far as appearances go the garment is not distinguishable from one where the garment 1s 'unbroken along the sides,

The invention 1s also appheable to dresses,

nightgowns and other garments.

In the case of some garments they may be folded on other lines than the shoulder line, but the same arrangement whereby the garments may be spread out flat for the reception of the body and then the unoccupied;

portion of the garment be brought over the body until like edges/are brought into engagement to be there fastened, may .be employed. j

A garment such as shown in the drawings, or suitably modified in shape for thel purpose, is well adapted foruse in clothing a patient after being subjected to a surgical operation, or who perhaps is suHering from some disease where it is not expedlent to subject the patient to any movements that can be avoided, and yet changes of lgar'- ments ybecome necessary from time to time. With the present invention it is only necessary to lay the patient upon the spread out garment, and the further manipulation may e performed without disturbing the patient in the least.

While hooks and eyes are shown and have been. described as the fastening devices employed, it will be understood that other suitable fastening devices may be used.

What is claimed is 1. An effectively one-piece garment, for

the human body, of double t e len th of the portion of the body to be clothe with the two lengths permanently joined at the shoulder line and there foldable to bring one-half of the garment over a body lying on the other half, and said arment having an intermediate opening at t e foldable portion for the passage of the head and also provided along the long sides with fastening devices for there securing the two lengths together.

2. A garment comprising a front ortion and a back portion permanentlyjomed at the shoulders and of a length to cover a body, the front and back portions being rovided with sleeve portions common, to oth said front and back portions and in one piece therewith, the two portions of the gar-' the garment and there provided with lmeans for detaehably fastening together the meeting edges when the garment is brought together to envelop a body, said garment where joined together at the shoulders having a neck opening common to both members, and neck opening formed lengthwise of the front garment member.

In testimony,

JOHN A. HUGHES, WILLIAM WEEKS.

an elongated extension of said.

that I claim the foregoing as m own, I have hereto aiiixed my signa-85" 

